To celebrate the relentless passion and invaluable contributions of leaders in software quality, BrowserStack is proud to honour some of the icons in the testing space. These are the visionaries who not only push the industry forward with their expertise but also enrich the entire testing community by generously sharing their knowledge and thought leadership.
Keith Klain is a Technology Leader specializing in AI Assurance, Quality Engineering, and Operational Risk. Currently serving as the Director of Quality Engineering at KPMG UK, Keith has led massive quality transformations and built testing teams for global financial services giants like Barclays and Citigroup. His current focus lies in the assurance of AI-enabled systems—ensuring they are safe, reliable, and fit for purpose, and that the evidence supporting them can be trusted. A firm believer that the purpose of testing is not to manufacture confidence, but to provide useful information about risk and quality, Keith actively shares his insights as an international keynote speaker and through his popular platform, Quality Remarks.
We spoke with Keith about applying systems thinking to software quality, why testing is a "people problem" rather than a technology problem, and the critical importance of evaluating AI risk.
The most exciting parts about my role are the projects I get to work on with clients to deliver them. The type of projects we deliver are typically very strategic in nature for our clients, like enterprise transformation projects, national infrastructure, and integration projects for multi-firm mergers or collaborations. I feel very lucky that in my career I’ve had the opportunity to work all over the world on programs of that nature where the impact is felt all through the organisation and very frequently an entire industry. Having that level of visibility and impact really keeps you focused on risk and delivering timely information, which are both the entire mission of testing!
Frankly though, the people I’ve had the privilege of working with over the years are really the best and most exciting part of my job. I’ve been fortunate to work with some amazing testers from all over the world and there is always something new to learn from them. The testing community in general is filled with really great, caring people and getting to know them from all the projects, companies, and industry work I’ve done is the best part of the job.
The easy answer would be anything related to “AI”, but in the context of this question, nothing about how the testing industry is using AI has really caught my attention or gets me excited—yet. The biggest trend I like these days is the move—even if ever so slightly—to apply critical thinking skills to software quality and testing again. Ideas like systems thinking and risk management, and how to think about complexity and failure, are being talked about again in certain communities like they were when I started in this business.
With the size, complexity, and pervasiveness of technology in our lives, I think it’s making some organisations and decision makers take pause about what they are really accomplishing with their approach to testing, and I’m seeing a rise in interest from clients about what to do with all of this “stuff”. I think once everything shakes out from the AI bubble and the dust settles a little, the ability to translate technology risk into business risk and articulate that to management is going to be a very in-demand skill.
That's really important to the work I’m doing these days on AI Assurance and Evaluation, which is new and exciting with lots of research and things to learn.
The hottest take I have on AI is that companies are wasting a lot of time and money still solving for the wrong problem and the landscape for “AI in testing” will not look remotely the same in a year's time… watch this space!
Study our industry! There are a TON of resources for you to read on the history of software testing, ideas, people to meet, and different approaches to try that are available to you, so take advantage of them. Our business is still dominated by the “certification” rent seekers and gets exploited pretty regularly by vendors who think that testing and software quality are easily solvable problems. I can assure you neither are, and there is still a lot to learn, so get out there and study our craft as it will only make you better at testing, increase your value to your company, and break you out of the “certification” mindset that limits your potential.
I’m a bit of a testing industry junkie, so I read just about everything that comes out because it’s such a “learn as you go” business. My go-to sources for all things testing related I read and follow are listed on Quality Remarks, but for starters, here’s a short list of my testing “must reads”:
LinkedIn Group
Blogs
Podcasts
Conferences
That software quality, testing, risk management—all of it—aren’t technology problems, they are people problems. Early on in my career I focused almost entirely on the technical aspects of testing and lost my way believing it was a problem to be solved and not managed. That’s not to say that testing systems or software isn’t a technical challenge or that you shouldn’t have technical skills—I’ve advocated for (and built) extensive training programs on teaching technical skills to testers. My point is that when I started understanding how to manage quality and communicate risk to management, the better I got at that and the longer I did, I truly realised that “there’s always a problem, and the problem is always people”.
I’ve got teenagers, so spending as much time as I can with them hiking, travelling, or listening to music/concerts takes up a ton of my time, but on a challenge from my son, I’ve started to learn French as it’s never too late to learn something new!
(Responses may have been edited for clarity.)
Keith’s journey highlights that at the highest levels, testing isn't just about software—it's about understanding complex systems, managing risk, and communicating effectively with people. He exemplifies a modern quality leader, one who embraces the hard truths about technology transformations and works tirelessly to elevate the critical thinking skills of the entire community.
🎉 Join us in celebrating Keith Klain and the incredible work of all testers who keep the software world running smoothly.
Stay tuned as we continue to spotlight more #IconsOfQuality in the coming days, honoring those who make a difference in the field of software testing. Check out our past honourees, and if you know someone who’s made an impact in your software testing journey, nominate them here and share your stories using #IconsOfQuality.
Meet the Icons of Quality
